The best library architecture recognised at the inaugural Library Design Awards

Nicholas Rider

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has announced the winners of its inaugural Library Design Awards 2017, during a ceremony held in Melbourne.

Five libraries came out on top from a list of 33 entries. Winners were awarded across a number of categories related to library design, including public, school, academic and ‘special’ libraries.

The award for the Public Library category went to the City of Perth Library by Kerry Hill Architects, which was designed with dedicated floors to target different demographics. For instance, a floor for young children features appropriately-designed furniture and soft surfaces. A young adult floor, on the other hand, is fitted out with study rooms and recreation areas.

City of Perth Library by Kerry Hill Architects received the Public Library award. Image: ALIA

Other awarded projects were St Joseph’s Nudgee College Hanly Learning Centre by m3architecture, Western Sydney University’s John Phillips Library by Allen Jack+Cottier Architects, and Arup Library by BVN.

The judging panel took a wide range of factors into consideration when deciding the winners of the inaugural ALIA Library Design Awards. Judging criteria incorporated the architects’ or designers’ objectives, the community response, value for money, size of the budget, whether the project was a new build or a refurbishment, innovation and quality of the design, sense of place and how the structure fitted into its environment.

ALIA said they created the Library Design Awards to showcase the best in contemporary library design – encompassing both interiors and exteriors – within Australia. They are also intended as a celebration of the investment in libraries made by the country’s institutions, corporations, and governments at the local, state and territory levels.